History

The current Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats was established on January 5, 2011. The Committee's basic jurisdiction is over education and labor matters, generally.

The first Committee of jurisdiction, the Committee on Education and Labor was established on March 21, 1867 in the aftermath of the Civil War and the growth of American industry. On December 19, 1883, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats was divided into two standing committees: Committee on Education and Committee on Labor. On January 2, 1947, the Legislative Reorganization Act again combined the Committees, renamed the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats. On January 4, 1995, the Committee was renamed the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities. On January 7, 1997, the Committee was renamed the Committee on Education and the Workforce. On January 4, 2007, the Committee adopted its original name: the Committee on Education and Labor. Finally, the Committee was renamed the

Committee Membership

Congress

Year

Democrats

Republicans

Membership

112th

2011

17

23

40

111th

2009-10

30

19

49

110th

2007-08

27

22

49

109th

2005-06

21

26

47

108th

2003-04

22

27

49

107th

2001-02

22

27

49

106th

1999-2000

22

27

49

105th

1997-98

20

25

45

104th

1995-96

19

24

43

103th

1993-94

28

15

43

102th

1991-92

25

15

40

101th

1989-90

23

13

36

100th

1987-88

21

13

34

99th

1985-86

20

14

34

98th

1983-84

25

13

38

97th

1981-82

21

14

35

96th

1979-80

24

13

37

95th

1977-78

25

12

37

Source: Committee Calendars

Past Chairmen and Ranking Minority Members

The Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats was created on March 21, 1867.

Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats (1867-1883)

Chair

Ranking Minority Member

Party

Congress

Years

John Baker (IL)

Union Republican

40th

1867-1869

Samuel M. Arnell (TN)

Republican Independent

41st

1869-1871

Legand W. Perce (MS)

Republican

42nd

1871-1873

James Monroe (OH)

Republican

43rd

1873-1875

Gilbert C. Walker (VA)

Conservative

44th

1875-1877

John Goode, Jr. (VA)

Democrat

45th-46th

1877-1881

J.T. Updegraff (OH)

Republican

47th

1881-1882

John C. Sherwin (IL)

Republican

47th

1882-1883

The separate committees on Education and Labor were established in December 1883.

Committee on Education (1883-1947)

Chair

Ranking Minority Member

Party

Congress

Years

D. Wyatt Alken (SC)

Democrat

48th-49th

1883-1887

Allen D. Candler (GA)

Democrat

50th

1887-1889

James O'Donnell (MI)

Republican

51st

1889-1891

Walter I. Hayes (IA)

Democrat

52nd

1891-1892

David B. Brunner (PA)

Democrat

52nd

1892

Benjamin A. Ealoc (TN)

Democrat

52nd-53rd

1892-1895

Galusha A. Grow (PA)

Republican

54th-57th

1897-1903

David A. De Armond (MO)

Democrat

56th-57th

1899-1903

George N. Southwick (NY)

Republican

58th-60th

1903-1909

Willard D. Vandiver (MO)

Democrat

58th

1903-1905

Edwin Y. Webb (NC)

Democrat

59th

1905-1907

James F. Burke (PA)

Republican

61st

1909-1911

Asbury F. Lever (SC)

Democrat

60th-61st

1907-1911

Asbury F. Lever (SC)

Democrat

62nd

1911-1913

James F. Burke (PA)

Republican

62nd-63rd

1911-1915

Dudley M. Hughes (GA)

Democrat

63rd-64th

1913-1917

Caleb Powers (KY)

Republican

64th-65th

1915-1919

William J. Sears (FL)

Democrat

65th

1917-1919

Simeon D. Fees (OH)

Republican

66th-67th

1919-1923

William J. Sears (FL)

Democrat

66th

1919-1921

William B. Bankhead (AL)

Democrat

67th

1921-1923

Frederick W. Dallinger (MA)

Republican

68th

1923-1925

Bill Green Lowrey (MS)

Democrat

68th-70th

1923-1929

Daniel A. Reed (NY)

Republican

69th-71st

1925-1931

Loring M. Black Jr. (NY)

Democrat

71st

1929-1931

John J. Douglas (MA)

Democrat

72nd-73rd

1931-1935

Daniel A. Reed (NY)

Republican

72nd

1931-1933

James L. Whitley (NY)

Republican

73rd

1933-1935

Vincent L. Palmisano (MD)

Democrat

74th-75th

1935-1937

Albert E. Carter (CA)

Republican

74th

1935-1937

William H. Larrabee (IN)

Democrat

75th-77th

1937-1943

George A. Dondero (MI)

Republican

75th-79th

1937-1947

Graham A. Barden (NC)

Democrat

78th-79th

1943-1947

Committee on Labor (1883-1947)

Chair

Ranking Minority Member

Party

Congress

Years

James H. Hopkins (PA)

Democrat

48th

1883-1885

John J. O'Neill (MO)

Democrat

49th-50th

1885-1889

William H. Wade (MO)

Republican

51st

1889-1891

John C. Tarsney (MO)

Democrat

52nd

1891-1893

Lawrence M. McGann (IL)

Democrat

53rd

1893-1895

Thomas W. Phillips (PA)

Republican

54th

1895-1897

Willaim Jasper Talbert (SC)

Democrat

56th-57th

1899-1903

John J. Gardner (NJ)

Republican

55th-61st

1897-1911

Ben F. Caldwell (IL)

Democrat

58th

1903-1905

William Randolph Hearst (NY)

Democrat

59th

1905-1907

Henry R. Ralney (IL)

Democrat

60th-61st

1907-1911

William B. Wilson (PA)

Democrat

62nd

1911-1913

John J. Gardner (NJ)

Republican

62nd

1911-1913

David J. Lewis (MD)

Democrat

63rd-64th

1913-1917

John M.C. Smith (MI)

Republican

63rd-65th

1913-1919

James P. Maher (NY)

Democrat

65th

1917-1919

J.M.C. Smith (MI)

Republican

66th

1919-1921

James P. Maher (NY)

Democrat

66th

1919-1921

John I. Nolan (CA)

Republican

67th

1921-1922

Eugene Black (TX)

Democrat

67th

1921-1923

Frederick N. Zihlman (MD)

Republican

67th-68th

1922-1925

William D. Upshaw (GA)

Democrat

68th-69th

1923-1927

William F. Kopp (IA)

Republican

69th-71st

1925-1930

William P. Connery Jr. (MA)

Democrat

70th-71st

1927-1931

William P. Connery, Jr. (MA)

Democrat

72nd-75th

1931-1937

Richard Welch (CA)

Republican

72nd-79th

1931-1947

Mary T. Norton (NJ)

Democrat

75th-79th

1937-1947

The two separate committees were terminated on January 7, 1947, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats was re-created as of that date.

Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats (1947-1995)

Chair

Ranking Minority Member

Party

Congress

Years

Fred A. Hartley, Jr. (NJ)

Republican

80th

1947-1949

John Lesinski (MI)

Democrat

80th

1947-1949

John Lesinski (MI)

Democrat

81st

1949-1950

Samuel K. McConnell, Jr. (PA)

Republican

81st-82nd

1949-1953

Graham A. Barden (NC)

Democrat

81st-82nd

1950-1953

Samuel K. McConnell, Jr. (PA)

Republican

83rd

1953-1955

Graham A. Barden (NC)

Democrat

83rd

1953-1955

Graham A. Barden (NC)

Democrat

84th-86th

1955-1961

Samuel K. McConnell, Jr. (PA)

Republican

84th-85th

1955-1957

Ralph W. Gwins (NY)

Republican

85th

1957-1959

Carroll D. Kearns (PA)

Republican

86th-87th

1959-1963

Adam C. Powell (NY)

Democrat

87th-89th

1961-1966

Peter H.B. Frelinghuysen (NJ)

Republican

88th

1963-1965

William H. Ayres (OH)

Republican

89th-91st

1965-1971

Carl D. Perkins (KY)

Democrat

90th-98th

1967-1984

Albert H. Quie (MN)

Republican

92nd-95th

1971-1978

John M. Ashbrook (OH)

Republican

96th-97th

1979-1982

John N. Erlenborn (IL)

Republican

97th-98th

1982-1984

Augustus F. Hawkins (CA)

Democrat

98th-101st

1984-1991

James M. Jeffords (VT)

Republican

99th-100th

1985-1988

William F. Goodling (PA)

Republican

101st-103rd

1989-1995

William D. Ford (MI)

Democrat

102nd-103rd

1991-1995

On January 4, 1995, the Committee's name was changed to the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities.

Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities (1995-1997)

Chair

Ranking Minority Member

Party

Congress

Years

William F. Goodling (PA)

Republican

104th

1995-1997

William L. Clay (MO)

Democrat

104th

1995-1997

On January 7, 1997, the Committee's name was changed to the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Committee on Education and the Workforce (1997-2006 )

Chair

Ranking Minority Member

Party

Congress

Years

William F. Goodling (PA)

Republican

105th-106th

1997-2000

William L. Clay (MO)

Democrat

105th-106th

1997-2000

John A. Boehner (OH)

Republican

107th-109th

2001-2006

George Miller (CA)

Democrat

107th-

2001-

Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (CA)

Republican

109th-

2006-

On January 4, 2007, the Committee's name was changed to the Committee on Education and Labor.

Committee on Education and Labor (2007-2011)

Chair

Ranking Minority Member

Party

Congress

Years

George Miller (CA)

Democrat

110th-111th

2007- 2011

Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (CA)

Republican

110th-111th

2007-2009

John Kline (MI)

Republican

111th-111th

2009-2011

In January 2011, the Committee's name was changed to the Committee on Education and the Workforce.